Not Well Off, but Not Poor

To the Editor:

Katherine S. Newman and Victor Tan Chen focus their research on what they call the "missing class," a group that fits between the poor and the middle class ("The Crisis of the Near Poor," The Chronicle Review, October 5). They describe people who fit into this group as having jobs that don't pay well, with limited job security and no benefits; having low levels of education; and constantly struggling to stay above the poverty line and secure a better future for their